This shelf holds one product with enough flavor built in to carry a whole dinner: pasta tossed with a simple tomato-parmesan sauce enriched by butter and a raw egg yolk. The cheese brings salt, garlic, and umami; the sun-dried tomato adds depth. It is faster than its five minutes of cooking time suggests.

Serves 2. 20 minutes, 12 at the stove.

About 830 calories a serving, 32 g protein, 90 g carbohydrate, 37 g fat. From USDA figures for 100% of the ingredients; amounts are the recipe's.

Cook mode

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add 8 oz pasta and cook until one minute before al dente, stirring once.12 min
2. While the pasta cooks, separate 1 egg, setting the yolk in a small bowl and reserving the white for another use. Crack the second egg whole into the bowl with the yolk and whisk together with a fork until combined.
3. Warm 2 tablespoons butter with 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat, then add 1 cup of the shelf cheese and stir constantly until it smells toasty and begins to clump slightly, about 90 seconds. The oil and butter will separate from the cheese solids; this is correct.2 min
4. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain the pasta and add it directly to the skillet with the cheese mixture, tossing to coat. Remove from heat.
5. Slowly pour the egg mixture into the pasta while tossing constantly and quickly; the residual heat will cook the eggs gently into a creamy sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste, loosening with splashes of pasta water until the sauce coats each strand.

Note Swap dried oregano for the basil in the cheese if the flavor leans too sweet. Leftovers keep for two days; reheat gently with a splash of water. Serve with arugula dressed in oil and salt, or a simple green salad, to cut through the richness.